Fiber toration; method and equipment

ABSTRACT

Method and apparatus for the production of fibrous materials from attenuable substances, particularly molten glass, are disclosed, along with the fiber products which result. In the disclosed system the material to be fiberized flows into a region established as a result of the interaction of a jet transversely oriented with respect to a larger blast, the material being acted upon in the interaction zone to produce a highly attenuated fiber.

United States Patent 11 1 Levecque et al.

[451 May 27, 1975 [54] FIBER TORATION; METHOD AND EQUIPMENT [76] Inventors: Marcel Levecque, Saint-Gratien;

Jean A. Battigelli; Dominique Plantard, both of Rantigny, all of France [22] Filed: Apr. 24, 1973 21 Appl. No.: 353,934

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Mar. 30, 1973 France 73111525 [52] U.S. Cl. 1. 65/5; 65/16; 264/5; 264/12; 264/176 F; 425/7 [51] int. Cl C031) 37/04 [58] Field of Search 65/58, 14-16; 264/176 F, 5, 12; 425/7 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,515,738 7 1950 Slayter et a1 65/16 2609,566 9/1952 Slayter et a1 .4 65/6 2.687551 8/1954 Stalego 65/7 2.972,]69 2/1961 Stalego 65/6 2,982,991 5/1961 Karlovitz .1 65/16 X 3,357,808 12/1967 Eberle 65/7 3,634,055 l/1972 Paymal 7. 65/6 3,649,232 5/1972 Battigelli 65/6 OTHER PUBLICATIONS Vogler, Surface Pressure Distributions Induced on a Flat Plate by a Cold Air Set issuing Perpendicularly from the Plate and Normal to Low-Stream Flow." NASA Technical Note D-1629, March 1963 Primary ExaminerRobert L. Lindsay, Jr.

[57] ABSTRACT Method and apparatus for the production of fibrous materials from attenuable substances, particularly molten glass, are disclosed, along with the fiber products which result. In the disclosed system the material to be fiberized flows into a region established as a result of the interaction of a jet transversely oriented with respect to a larger blast, the material being acted upon in the interaction zone to produce a highly attenuated fiber.

28 Claims, 37 Drawing Figures FATENTED 1 1M 2 7 I875 SHEET Jig/A.

Pmmnnm 21 m5 SHEET I II:

PATENTEDMAY 2 7 I975 SHEET Ja 2B,

PATENTED MAY 2? i975 SHEU SHEET PATENTED MAY 2 7 ms PATENTEUMY 27 ms SHEU 04A I048 I040 PATENTEBWPY 1915 3.885; 940 SHEET 15 fig. 12/1.

PATENTEU MAY 27 ms SHEET 1 17 ocu 

1. Equipment for making glass fibers comprising means for establishing a gaseous blast, a plurality of fiberizing centers associated with said blast including means for supplying molten glass to the region of the boundary of the blast and each fiberizing center further including means for directing a gaseous jet of smaller cross section than the blast into the blast transversely thereof, the glass supply means comprising a glass supply orifice in the form of an elongated slot adjacent to a plurality of jets, thereby supply-ing the glass to be fiberized at a plurality of the fiberizing centers.
 2. Equipment as defined in claim 1 in which the slot is extended transversely of the blast.
 3. Equipment as defined in claim 2 in which the slot is positioned downstream of the jets.
 4. Equipment as defined in claim 2 in which gaseous jets are also positioned beyond the ends of the slot.
 5. Equipment for making glass fibers comprising an elongated forehearth channel having a series of glass tapping stations spaced from each other lengthwise of the forehearth channel, mechanism for establishing a gaseous blast in the region of said tapping stations, and fiberizing centers associated with the tapping stations and including a glass supply slot at each tapping station for delivering glass to the boundary of the blast and means for directing a plurality of gaseous jets of smaller cross section than the blast into the blast transversely thereof upstream of the glass supply slot at each tapping station.
 6. A METHOD FOR MAKING GLASS FIBERS FROM MOLTEN GLASS, COMPRISING ESTABLISHING A GASEOUS BLAST, DELIVERING MOLTEN GLASS TO A GLASS SUPPLY SLOT ARRANGED ADJACENT A BOUNDARY OF THE BLAST, AND CAUSING THE GLASS TO BE DELIVERED FROM SAID SLOT AT A PLURALITY OF ZONES SPACED ALONG THE SLOT BY DIRECTING A PLURALITY
 7. A method as defined in claim 6 in which the slot is extended transversely of the blast.
 8. A method of converting heat softenable material to fibers comprising the steps of generating a gaseous blast and a plurality of gaseous jets, the jets being of smaller cross section than the blast and penetrating into said blast transversely thereof at spaced points, whereby zones of interaction are established proximate to the paths of penetration of said gaseous jets into said gaseous blast, and introducing heat softened material into said zones of interaction by feeding said material to a slot positioned adjacent to a plurality of jets.
 9. A method for making glass fibers from molten glass comprising tapping molten glass at a plurality of spaced stations from a forehearth channel, establishing a gaseous blast at each tapping station, delivering the tapped molten glass to the gaseous blasts, and establishing a plurality of fiberizing centers at each of the tapping stations by directing a plurality of spaced gaseous jets transversely into the gaseous blast at each station in positions upstream of the delivery of glass to the blast.
 10. A method as defined in claim 9 and further including tapping a plurality of forehearth channEls, establishing a plurality of blasts for each tapped channel, delivering the tapped glass to the blasts and establishing a plurality of fiberizing centers at each tapping station of each channel, and forming a multi-ply fiber blanket by bringing together the fibers produced from the glass tapped from the several forehearth channels.
 11. Equipment for making glass fibers comprising an elongated forehearth channel having a series of glass tapping stations spaced from each other lengthwise of the forehearth channel, mechanism for establishing a gaseous blast in the region of said tapping stations, and fiberizing centers associated with the tapping stations and including means for supplying glass from the tapping stations to the boundary of the blast and each fiberizing center including means for directing a gaseous jet of smaller cross section than that of the blast into the blast transversely thereof upstream of the glass supply means.
 12. Equipment as defined in claim 11 and further including a fiber collection conveyor positioned to receive the fibers formed at the fiberizing centers.
 13. Equipment as defined in claim 11 in which a separate mechanism for establishing a gaseous blast is provided for each of said glass tapping stations and in which the means for directing gaseous jets into the blast includes means for directing a plurality of such jets into the blast established by each of said mechanisms thereby providing a plurality of fiberizing centers associated with each tapping station.
 14. Equipment as defined in claim 11 in which a plurality of forehearth channels are provided in spaced parallel horizontal relation, in which mechanisms for establishing gaseous blasts and fiberizing centers are associated with the tapping stations of each forehearth channel, and further including common fiber collection means for the fibers formed at the fiberizing centers associated with the several forehearth channels.
 15. Equipment as defined in claim 14 in which the collection means comprises a conveyor moving in a horizontal path transverse to and at an elevation below the forehearth channels, and further including inclined fiber guide means extended from the region of the fiberizing centers to the conveyor.
 16. Equipment as defined in claim 15 in which separate inclined guide means are provided for the fiberizing centers associated with each forehearth channel, the several inclined guide means overlying each other and having their discharge ends positioned to deliver the fibers to the conveyor in the manner of a plurality of plies to form a multi-ply blanket on the conveyor.
 17. Equipment as defined in claim 16 and further including means for separately applying fiber binder to the fibers of each ply before collection on the conveyor.
 18. Equipment as defined in claim 12 and further including means for applying a fiber binder to the fibers prior to collection on the conveyor.
 19. Equipment as defined in claim 11 in which said gaseous blast is directed transverse to the forehearth channel.
 20. Equipment as defined in claim 19 and further including a fiber collection conveyor positioned to receive the fibers formed at the fiberizing centers and moving in a direction transverse to the forehearth channel.
 21. Equipment for making glass fibers comprising supply means for molten glass having a discharge orifice, means for establishing a gaseous blast directed in a path with a boundary of the blast adjacent the glass discharge orifice, means for establishing a gaseous jet directed in a path transverse to the path of the blast and penetrating the blast at a location upstream of the glass orifice, the jet being of smaller width than the width of the blast and separate plate means positioned downstream of the jet along the path of travel of the blast.
 22. Equipment as defined in claim 21 and further including thermal shielding means for shielding the glass supply means from the blast on the downstream side of the glass discharge orifice.
 23. Equipment aS defined in claim 21 in which said plate means comprises a plate adjacent said boundary of the blast in a position to deflect the blast.
 24. Equipment as defined in claim 21 in which the plate has cooling means associated therewith.
 25. Equipment for making glass fibers comprising means for establishing a gaseous blast, a plurality of fiberizing centers associated with said blast including means for supplying molten glass to the region of the boundary of the blast and each fiberizing center further including means for directing a gaseous jet into the blast transversely thereof upstream of the glass supply means, the jets being spaced from each other transversely of the blast, and the glass supply means comprising a glass supply orifice in the form of an elongated slot extending transversely of the blast and spaced from each of a plurality of said jets a substantially uniform distance.
 26. Equipment for making glass fibers comprising means for establishing a gaseous blast, a plurality of fiberizing centers associated with said blast including means for supplying molten glass to the region of the boundary of the blast and each fiberizing center further including means for directing a gaseous jet of smaller cross section than the blast into the blast transversely thereof upstream of the glass supply means, and means for directing a gaseous jet into the blast in a location laterally beyond the region of glass supply.
 27. Equipment for making glass fibers comprising means for establishing a gaseous blast, means for supplying molten glass to the blast having orifice means for delivering molten glass in an elongated zone transverse to the blast, the orifice means being positioned so that the plane of emission of the glass lies adjacent a boundary of the blast, and means for establishing a plurality of gaseous jets of small cross section as compared with the blast, with the jets directed into the blast through said boundary in an elongated zone upstream of the orifice means, the glass orifice means comprising an elongated slot cooperating with a plurality of said jets.
 28. A method of converting heat softenable material to fibers comprising the steps of generating a gaseous blast and a plurality of gaseous jets, the jets being positioned so as to penetrate into said gaseous blast at spaced points, whereby zones of interaction are established proximate to the paths of penetration of said gaseous jets into said gaseous blast, and introducing heat softened material into said zones of interaction by feeding said material to a slot positioned adjacent to a plurality of jets, the gaseous blast being of substantially larger cross section than said jets.
 29. Equipment for making glass fibers comprising supply means for molten glass having a discharge orifice, means for establishing a gaseous blast directed in a path with a boundary of the blast adjacent the glass discharge orifice, wall elements at least in part defining at least a plurality of the boundaries of the blast, and means for establishing a gaseous jet directed in a path transverse to the path of the blast and in a position to penetrate the blast at a location upstream of the glass orifice, the jet being of smaller width than the width of the blast, the molten glass discharge orifice opening through one of said wall elements, the means for establishing a gaseous jet comprising a jet orifice which opens through said one of said wall elements, and a second of said wall elements being arranged at a position at a side of said blast so that it is opposite said glass and jet orifices, said second wall element having a curved portion positioned to widen the blast flow path opposite said orifices.
 30. Equipment as defined in claim 29 in which said curved portion comprises a plate having cooling means associated therewith.
 31. Equipment as defined in claim 29 and further including separate plate means positioned downstream of the jet along the path of travel of the blast.
 32. Equipment for making glaSs fibers comprising means for establishing a gaseous blast, a plurality of fiberizing centers associated with said blast including means for supplying molten glass to the region of the boundary of the blast, and each fiberizing center including means for directing a gaseous jet into the blast transversely thereof upstream of the glass supply means, the equipment including such fiberizing centers spaced upstream and downstream from each other along the blast and of which the upstream and downstream jets are of different size, the jets being smaller than the blast and a downstream jet being smaller than an upstream jet.
 33. Equipment as defined in claim 32 in which the upstream and downstream fiberizing centers have glass orifice means, with the orifice means of an upstream center of greater dimension in the direction of the blast than the orifice means for a downstream center.
 34. A method for making fibers from attenuable material, particularly molten glass, comprising establishing a gaseous blast, delivering molten glass to a plurality of glass supply slots extended transversely of the blast and spaced from each other upstream and downstream of the blast, and causing the glass to be delivered from said slots at a plurality of zones spaced along each slot by directing a plurality of gaseous jets into the blast through said boundary upstream of each slot.
 35. Apparatus for making fibers from molten glass, comprising means for establishing a gaseous blast, a plurality of fiberizing centers associated with said blast including a plurality of glass supply slots in the region of the boundary of the blasts, the slots being extended transversely of the blast and being spaced from each other upstream and downstream of the blast, and means for directing a plurality of gaseous jets into the blast at spaced points along and upstream of each glass supply slot. 